A Dundee man says he and his mother are struggling with their mental health after what he claims has been a year of problems with her care company.
Mark McNeil, claims myCare, who provide his 79-year-old mother’s care, haven’t sent the same carers to his mother, despite repeated requests.
Mark’s mother, Margaret McPhillips, has carers come in to help her get out of bed, shower, to prepare meals and provide other forms of personal care.
However, Mark, 51, says Margaret finds it extremely stressful having different carers come into the house, and the situation is damaging both his and her mental health.
He explains: “I can quite understand back in 2020, we were in the height of Covid. But this has been going on back to about August last year.
“My mum is on oxygen 20 hours a day. They’re sending in a carer who has never been here in their life.
“They come in and my mum can’t really speak, so she gets frustrated trying to explain what they have to do.
“It should all be in her notes. They’re on the kitchen table but should also be on the carer’s phone. The carers who are coming in don’t have a clue about her care.”
‘She’s not sleeping, worried about who is coming’
Mark was told by myCare they are unable to send the same carers to his mother due to staff shortages and annual leave.
He continues: “My mum is getting herself all stressed out about it. When I phone they tell me they’ve got a lot of people on holiday.
“I really don’t see what that has to do with my mum. I was told we can’t have the same carers all the time because they need them for other places.
“My mum doesn’t have a problem getting new carers, as long as they shadow someone and have an idea of what they’re coming in to do.
“Mum’s mental health is being affected. She’s not sleeping at night, worried about who’s coming in the morning.
“I’ve gone from being here for a couple of hours on a Wednesday to being here every day of the week.
“What’s the point of carers coming if I’m having to do it too? Mum is probably one of the easiest clients they have. They don’t exactly have to do much here.”
Mark continues: “There are days where I come along and do things. I try to help out where I can.
“As I’ve said to my mum, I’m not her carer, I’m her son. I prefer to come round and sit with her, not have to do the jobs the carers are supposed to.
“My mental health is shattered. This situation affects me a lot. I have my own problems, I’ve had bypass surgery and have rheumatoid arthritis.
“It’s not the easiest for me. But it’s my mum. I have to make sure she’s alright.”
‘We strive to provide the best possible care’
A spokesperson for myCare said: “We strive to provide the best possible care at all times.
“We try to minimise the size of care team for each person we support, to ensure the highest level of continuity.
“Satisfaction of those we support is of upmost importance to us. We do all we can to resolve issues and concerns.
“We cannot comment on individual cases and would encourage anyone with concerns to raise them with us. The last thing we want is an unhappy customer!
“The social care sector continues to endure significant pressure due to the Covid pandemic, rising case numbers, and ongoing recruitment and retention pressures.
“We strive to mitigate impact to customers, but sometimes this is outwith our control; safety is paramount which we cannot compromise.
“Throughout the pandemic we have sustained a high level of service, this is a huge achievement and testament to the dedication of our staff teams.
“The concerns raised have been escalated to the local care management team and our inspector at the Care Inspectorate.”
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